Sheet material feeding and cutting apparatus and control system therefor

ABSTRACT

Sheet material feeding and cutting device including feed roll for material driven by a motor through clutch and brake, for feeding sheet material such as paper from a roll. A knife is provided with driving means for operating the same in response to an electrical signal. The extent of movement of the feed roll is measured to thereby measure the amount of material fed. This may be provided by a shaft encoder which produces pulses for increments of movement of the feed roll, and a counter coupled to the encoder for counting the pulses. The counter can be manually preset to a particular number of pulses corresponding to a particular length of material, to operate a control circit in response to the preset number of pulses. The control circuit operates the electrically operated clutch and brake to disengage the drive and to stop the movement of the feed roll. The control circuit also applies a signal to the drive for the knife to operate the same. Alternatively, a mechanical device coupled to the feed roll can move therewith and cooperate with a switch which is adjustably positioned in accordance with a preset length of sheet material. The switch operates the control circuit to actuate the clutch and brake, and the drive for the knife, in the same manner as when the shaft encoder and counter are used.



1. Apparatus for feeding and cutting measured amounts of sheet material, including in combination, feeding means for the sheet material including a feed roll, first drive means coupled to said feed roll, cutting means for cutting off the sheet material fed, second drive means coupled to said cutting means, said cutting means including a fixed blade and a movable blade, means for supporting said movable blade including arm means coupled to said second drive means, and a mounting for said movable blade pivotally coupled to said arm means and including spring means for biasing said movable blade against said fixed blade, measuring means coupled to said feed roll and operating to provide an indication representing the movement of said feed roll, operating means coupled to said measuring means and responsive to said indication therefrom, said operating means including manually operated means for presetting the same to a predetermined length and operating to produce a control operation in response to said measuring means producing an indication of said predetermined length, and control means for controlling the operation of said first and second drive means and including switch means operative to initiate operation of said first drive means, said control means being coupled to said operating means and being operative to render said first drive means inoperative and to render said second drive means operative in response to said control operation of said operating means.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first drive means includes a motor, a feed roll drive, and a clutch and brake unit coupling said motor to said feed roll drive, and wherein said motor is normally operative and said control means actuates the clutch of said clutch and brake unit to initiate operation of said first drive means and de-energizes said clutch and energizes the brake of said clutch ahd brake unit to render said first drive means inoperative.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said operating means produces a preliminary operation in response to said measuring means producing an indication of a length less than said predetermined length and including further brake means coupled to said feed roll and means coupling said operating means to said further brake means to actuate said further brake means in response to said preliminary operation of said operating means.
 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said measuring means includes a shaft encoder having a drive wheel engaging said feed roll, said shaft encoder producing pulses in response to incremental movement of said feed roll, and wherein said operating means includes a counter responsive to said pulses and switch means controlled by said counter and connected to said control means for actuating the same to render said first dirve means inoperative and to render said second drive means operative.
 5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means includes further means for causing operation of said first drive means independent of said operation of said operating means.
 6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means includes further means for causing operation of said second drive means independent of operation of said operating means.
 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means inclUdes a hinged member adjacent the passage for sheet material between said feeding means and said cutting means and adapted to be moved by sheet material becoming jammed in said passage, and switch means coupled to said hinged member for disabling the control means in response to movement of said hinged member.
 8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cutting means includes eccentric positioning means in engagement with said movable blade for positioning the same with respect to said fixed blade.
 9. Apparatus for feeding and cutting measured amounts of sheet material, including in combination, feeding means for the sheet material including a feed roll, drive means for said feed roll including a motor, clutch means for coupling said motor to said feed roll, and brake means having first and second portions, shaft encoder means coupled to said feed roll for producing an electrical pulse for each increment of movement of said feed roll, counter means coupled to said encoder means and responsive to said electrical pulses, said counter means including manually operated means for presetting the same to a predetermined number and means to produce a preliminary signal in response to a number of pulses less than said predetermined number and to produce a control signal in response to said predetermined number of pulses, cutting means for cutting off the sheet material fed, and control means for controlling the operation of said drive means and said cutting means, said control means being coupled to said counter means and operative in response to said preliminary signal to actuate said first portion of said brake means for slowing down said feed roll, and in response to said control signal to actuate said second portion of said brake means to stop said feed roll and to activate said cutting means.
 10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said counter means counts to a number having a plurality of digits and includes an indicator for each digit, and manually operated means associated with each digit for setting said indicator thereof, said counter means producing said control signal in response to the number of pulses corresponding to the number set into said indicators.
 11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cutting means includes adjustable positioning means in engagement with said movable blade for positioning the same with respect to said fixed blade.
 12. Apparatus for feeding and cutting measured amounts of sheet material, including in combination, feeding means for the sheet material including a feed roll, first drive means coupled to said feed roll, cutting means for cutting off the sheet material fed, second drive means coupled to said cutting means, said cutting means including a fixed blade and a movable blade, means for supporting said movable blade including arm means coupled to said second drive means, and a mounting for said movable blade pivotally coupled to said arm means and including spring means for biasing said movable blade against said fixed blade, measuring means coupled to said feed roll and operating to provide an indication representing the movement of said feed roll, operating means coupled to said measuring means and responsive to said indication therefrom to produce a control operation in response to said measuring means producing an indication of said predetermined length, and control means for controlling the operation of said first and second drive means, said control means being coupled to said operating means and being operative to render said first drive means inoperative and to render said second drive means operative in response to said control operation of said operating means. 